a thank you to Westwood and the Westwood 50 organizers

It's been a week but I've been thinking, and wishing, that I should have gone up to the microphone when it was offered to attendees of the banquet to say something.

So here goes anyway:

The Vancouver Sun of Monday, July 27, 1959 said over 18,000 people watched the opening day races at Westwood. So did the Vancouver Province. Canada Track & Traffic said it was an "estimated 10,000".

Split the difference. A lot of people went up and down the narrow lane to Westwood that Sunday, July 26, 1959.

And over the years many more thousands did the same. They might have only gone once or maybe a handful of times. or maybe they made every sports car races for a season or two or more. And maybe even the motorcycle races as well.

It would be a marvel to find someone who went to all the races from 1959 to 1990. For anyone too have done that would have been a major commitment not unlike a marriage. And lord knows spouses can disappoint and forget to do something in the extreme.

At the Westwood 50 ceremony last Saturday those who had raced in various classes were asked to acknowledge themselves. The Ladies' Auxiliary probably got the biggest group.

But one group was left out -- the spectators.

So on behalf of the hundreds of thousands I want to thank those who raced, crewed, marshalled the corners, officiated and did all the myriad of jobs it takes to put on the races at Westwood.

You people were our heroes.

So I thank you.

a kart video

I posted this video a while back. The guy who put it together, John Denniston, was at the BC Historic Motor Races last weekend out at Mission. Figure I should post again with credit going to him.



Here's the description from the youtube link:

Go kart racing on the sprint track at Westwood Racing Circuit near Vancouver BC, at Thrashers Corner near Seattle, Washington and at the Puget Sound Go Kart Association's track south of Tacoma. As of 2011 only the Tacoma track is still in existence. The film was shot in 1978 and 1979 and shows drivers from the Westwood Karting Association competing in races sanctioned by the International Kart Federation. The film was used to promote karting and the Westwood Karting Association at trade shows. Drivers featured in the film include Ralph Oakes, Ruddy Chong, Glen Mackenzie, John Fey, David Lehmann, Luckie Kuosmanen, Kevin Nelson and Kerry Nelson. The film was shot on 16mm film with an Arri ST by John Denniston of Vancouver. Editing was done by Jana Fritsch of Montage Editing in Vancouver. Music is from Little Mountain Studios also in Vancouver. The voice over is former CBC announcer Gordon Hunt. Sound recording was by John Denniston which was mixed in an empty CBC studio by a man whose name I can't remember. The final mix was done by Alpha Cine in Vancouver. The copyright to this film belongs to John Denniston.

I recognize a couple names: Ralph Oakes was karting in the 1960s and I saw a story on him in senior magazine -- apparently he's still karting; and John Fey -- a U.S. karter who came up to Canada and when I helped a karter down in the U.S. 25 years ago John was still racing.

100, one hundred, ONE HUNDRED!!!!

I mean:


So here are a few "100s" to celebrate:


Jack Spalding at Con Jones Park in east Vancouver, 1940 with a midget race car. Jack's nickname was "the little man with the big cigar". The cigar doesn't show up all that well in this shot taken off the t.v. screen from a vhs tape. (I can even see my lamp reflected in the shot. Real high tech!)

When Jack raced in Vancouver he was from Victoria, and when he raced in Victoria he was from Vancouver. Originally he was from the States. His brother was Ernie Spalding whose son was/is Cliff Spalding. Cliff raced at Langley Speedway with the midgets in 1966.

With most of the midgets coming from the U.S. the numbering of the few Canadian cars were three digits. The car in the foreground is numbered for the next post, 101.

Larry McBride first raced with the midgets and track roadsters (hot rods) at Digney Speedway. He was pretty successful in both classes. When the stock cars took over Larry switched to them and was even more successful. He won the first 100-lap stock car championship race at Digney in 1952.



A bit of news from Clutch Chatter, the newsletter of the BC Custom Car Association. According to Larry B., who raced back then, a stop watch had been used in earlier years and by 1955 Chrondek timing lights were installed at Abbotsford Airport for the drag races. So it appears that Ron Hackett was the first officially to run 100 mph or more.

The photo below is of Ron with his 1923 Model T:



And below here is the patch from the BCCCA that drivers would get if they made a pass at 100 mph or more. This is off Stew Braddick's club jacket and is courtesy of Sylvia B.


On the international front, Milt and Ross Blewett ran the hydros. While they alternated driving chores from year to year, Milt was the one on board when he qualified for the 100 mph club. That was a big deal recognized by the American Power Boat Association.



Now who was the first to run a 100 mph lap at Westwood? Had to do some math calculations, something I'm out of practice doing. Figure a 64.8 second lap gets it done. (That right, Tom?)

Looking at some race results from the early 1970s finally got me to someone making the claim, in print, that the first 100 mph lap was done at the Player's Pacific race May 27, 1973 by Formula B driver, Allan Lader of Gresham, OR.

From the Canadian Motorsport Bulletin, July 1973: "In a late attempt to move up on race leader Lader, Craig Hill pressed the Castrol Brabham to a new Westwood lap record of 1:05.1 and an average speed of just over 99 MPH. Lader's crew responded with a 'record'? pit signal to Lader at the beginning of his third to last lap, and a 'Got It' two laps later when Lader replied with a 1:04.4, then a 1:04.3, making him the first driver to break the 100 MPH average speed barrier at Westwood."

The photo below shows Lader being given help back to the start-finish line as he, as well as Hill, ran out of fuel on the cool down lap after the checkered flag.


Now that's cutting it close.

And I should close this entry out. My one hundreth! Amazing. As with anything improvements are needed and will be worked on over the next 100.

That might take a bit longer than the 100 days (hey!) it took to get this many posted.

Shift changes, etc., are looming, starting this week, so hopefully I can keep up with the regularly scheduled stuff (IMCA, Langley, and comics!) and other things. Might take two days to get a post prepared. That might make them look a bit more slick than some of the 15 minutes of prep, one minute of corrections, then hit "publish post" and sign out ones I've got done.

Always trying to be "best appearing" even if that is a lost cause. Here's the last "100" for this 100th post. Ron Livingston's number 100 demolition derby car at Callister Park before it lost its best appearing appearance:


(Thanks to Tom J., Sylvia B., Larry B., and Murray C. for help and contributions to this biggie. Cheers all.)
bfp

Westwood week, 1975

We'll spend the week on Westwood, as this weekend is the Westwood 50 celebrations at Mission Raceway Park, part of the Historics.

the upcoming season, 1970

Westwood motorcycles always seemed to have a full schedule. Here's one presented in February 1970.

April 26, season opener
May 24, Thunderbird 100 mile production race
June 14
July 4 and 5, B.C. Championship
July 26
August 9 or 16
September 27
October 18, annual Grand Prix
(Of course the ad makes the August date wrong, who knows why.)

The president of the Westwood motorcycle club for 1970 was:
Mac Fish
Allan Seddon, vp
Mike Addison, secretary
Ron Randall, publicity

The Sports Car Club of BC's schedule was as follows:
April 5, international conference
April 12, CASC regional
May 3, international conference
May 31, CASC regional
June 28, CASC regional, COWPAC
July 19, international conference
August 2, international conference
September 2, CASC regional, COWPAC
October 11, CASC 7-hour endurance

Been trying to remember what COWPAC stood for:
Canada Oregon Washington Pacific Auto Club?

Don't quote me on that.

And what about the Karts? They must have had a schedule as well.

Westwood was a happening place.

Tommy Sands, Westwood

Tommy Sands, heart throb in the making, and married to Nancy Sinatra (how'd you like to call Frank your father-in-law?), paid a little visit to Westwood while in town performing at The Cave. Circa 1960.

Photos from the Tom Johnston Westwood collection.

Westwood, 1967

A report by Vince Howlett on the May 7, 1967 race at Westwood (from the May 27, 1967 issue of Competition Press).

Westwood opener, 1975

I've begun to look at a large stack of Autosport Canada. Some west coast reports worth posting. Here's opening day at Westwood from 1975.

1979, some Westwood and Mission

Westwood has a sports car race; Mission has motocross.

Westwood records

Westwood track records by class. From the October 10, 1990 Vancouver Province.

Westwood, 1965

 Castrol Trophy races. Clippings from the May 1st, 1965 Vancouver Province. I don't believe Pedro Rodriguez stayed for the rally finale at Westwood.

1975 NASCAR at Westwood

 1975 NASCAR race at Westwood from the Bob Barg collection.

Westwood week, 1978

Westwood, from 1978. The 7 hour Enduro.

final 1966 Westwood race

Final races, including the 6 hour endurance race, for the 1966 season at Westwood. From the October 27, 1966 Burnaby Examiner:

a Maserati at Westwood

Some pretty hot cars raced at Westwood. A Maserati, owned and driven by Tom Meehan from Seattle, brought a 1957 model up for the yearend endurance race.

Westwood Wednesdays, one

Going to try to put a clipping up for every year of racing. This might get tough in the later years as I haven't researched any of the local papers so I don't know if they cared.

But I'll start when they cared. And I won't start with the first race, although the 50th anniversary of Westwood's opening is being celebrated this July at Mission Raceway Park. See the links over on the right for much much more info on that.

So 1959:

Westwood Wednesdays, two

1960 at Westwood:

Westwood week, 1976

Tuesday of Westwood week. This time something from 1976.

Westwood Wednesday, 1982

Continuing into the 1980s with Westwood. This time up, 1982.

Westwood's 50th anniversary

This summer Westwood will celebrate its 50th anniversary at Mission Raceway Park. Events will be held July 16-18. Check the Westwood50 website for more information.

Just some photos; most, if not all, from Tom Johnston. More photos to come in the ensuing weeks and months.